1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to team roping. More specifically, the invention is a team roping training apparatus that allows a team roper to realistically simulate the act of “taking a daily” around a saddle horn, which is an important step of roping a steer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A roping team is composed of two members, each mounted on horseback. During competition, a steer is freed from a pen, after which the team members follow in close pursuit with the objective of roping and immobilizing the animal. One team member, the header, must rope the steer around its horns and then “take a dally,” which is a couple of wraps of the rope around the horn of the saddle. Once the header has made his daily, the other team member, the heeler, throws a loop of rope under the running steer's hind legs and also dallies tight around the saddle horn. Both horses then back up to stretch out the steer's hind legs, thus immobilizing the animal. The team that does this most quickly wins.
Because fractions of a second can determine the outcome of the competition, perfecting the technique of dallying, and developing the necessary muscle memory and dexterity for proper dallying through repetitive action, are goals sought by both novice and experienced ropers. An inability to properly and quickly take a dally can also lead to injury. Moreover, aspiring ropers want to make efficient use of whatever practice time they have.
There are other inventions that provide practice means for headers and heelers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,101,186 relies upon a non-motorized recoil mechanism that cannot be shut off once activated. The device utilizes a standard clutch that slowly retracts a line, but does not completely disengage the recoiling mechanism. U.S. Patent Application 2004/0101811 discloses a simulated steer and horse with the steer propelled along a straight path. While the device is motorized and useful for practicing a daily, it is limited in use due to its large and cumbersome nature and multitude of parts. Moreover, the invention disclosed by the '811 application only allows one practice daily per run. Neither of these inventions, taken either individually or in combination, discloses all of the limitations of the present invention as claimed.